Greek Salad
by Andie24
Summary: Have you ever tasted authentic Greek salad?" A series of Mac/Stella oneshots.
1. Greek Salad

_Okay, so I was on the grocery store when the idea came to my head. It was originally going to be a stand alone but I came up with having the idea of having a series of Mac/Stella oneshots that all have food titles so here ya go. Thanks again for the reviews. _

_And I don't own anything._

_-Andie_

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Greek Salad

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The small supermarket found itself to be fairly empty that early Sunday evening. There were only a few customers lingering among the shelves; eyeing everything from cereal boxes to soup cans; loaves of bread to coffee grinds. The lonely store worker leaned over the counter at his register, sifting through a magazine as the bubbles created from his gum popped rhythmically.

The temperature was cool as the air conditioner created a soft humming noise. A simple instrumental tune was continuously emitted from the speakers perched throughout the store, creating to some a pleasant shopping atmosphere. Others could find the music to be relatively galling. The only noise that would invade the steady sounds of the store was the bell that would ring when the door opened.

She entered the store, tired from the day's tasks. She left work earlier in the day but when she arrived home, she was frustrated to find few items stored in her refrigerator. She contemplated staying home and ordering out; figuring she could deal with the need to stock her cabinet later. However, her ambitious ways got in the way and she found herself entering the supermarket and grabbing a hand basket.

She walked along the aisles, hoping that eyeing the many products would give her a clue to what she would prepare that evening. With no luck in the first two aisles, she rounded the corner and entered the third, her spirits faltering slightly.

As her eyes trailed along the shelves, they passed over a figure at the other end of the aisle. She did a double take of the figure, wanting to confirm her initial suspicions. A small smile graced her lips as she walked closer to the man she recognized.

"Mac," she called out as she moved closer.

He looked up from the box he was holding, surprised when his name was called. His eyebrows rose in mild shock as Stella reached him.

"Stella, what are you doing here?"

She let out a small chuckle. "Trying to find something for dinner. What about you?"

"Same thing," he said, holding up the box to prove his point.

Stella eyed the box, reading the name on the front. "Ah. I should have known you would be an instant rice kind of guy."

He turned his body to face her completely as he watched her with growing amusement. "Why's that?"

"Patience isn't always your strong point," she told him.

Her comment earned her a laugh from him, something that gave her a smile of her own. Pleased with his reaction, she leaned over to take a look in his basket.

"Let's see, you've got some crackers and cheese," she looked up with a raised eyebrow, "very nice Mac. What else, oh, some canned pineapples," once again, she looked up, a grin on her face, "exotic," she said in a mocking tone. Once again, she looked back in the basket. "Oh, and I see some…" she trailed off, tilting her head slightly to the side on confusion.

She reached in the basket and pulled out some a small plastic container. "What is this?" she asked, holding the container up for display.

Mac laughed out loud at the item she held in her hand. "You of all people should know what that is Stella."

The way she smirked and slightly put her hip out to the side showed him that she was not very pleased with his answer.

"It's Greek salad," he said.

Stella looked at the container and then back at Mac. "Αυτό δεν είναι ελληνική σαλάτα."

Mac smiled as she continued to eye the container in her hand. "What was that Stella?"

She sighed and shook the container. "This is not Greek salad."

"It's not?" he asked with his eyebrows raised.

"Hardly."

"Well then, if it's not Greek salad, what is it?" he asked her.

"A bad imitation of a traditional Greek dish," she stated. The way she spoke created a matter-of-fact tone.

"I happen to like the bad imitation of a traditional Greek dish," he told her, taking the container from her a putting back in his basket.

"I'm telling you Mac, once you taste authentic Greek salad, you'll never be able to eat that stuff again," she told him, pointing to his basket.

"And where might I find this authentic Greek salad that you speak of?" he asked her.

His question sparked a thought in her mind. "You busy later tonight?"

Mac eyed her curiously, gathering an idea of what she was planning. "No, I'm not."

"Good. You just finish shopping okay, Mac," she said while walking backwards away from him. "Go home and drop off your groceries and meet me back at my place in about forty-five minutes."

Before Mac could reply, she disappeared around the corner.

He chuckled lightly to himself as he turned around and did what he was told.

)()()()()()(

The knock on her door came exactly forty-five minutes later. She eyed everything in her kitchen once more before moving to open the door.

She smiled at the image of Mac on the other side of the door with a bottle of wine in his hand.

"I assumed this invitation of yours was for dinner so I figured a bottle of wine was appropriate," he said as Stella moved aside to let him in the apartment.

"Good analytical conclusion Detective," she replied in mock serious tone.

Mac chuckled as he eyed around the apartment.

The small table in her kitchen had been set neatly for two. There were two candles placed in the middle, each lit with a sparkling ember. The lights had been dimmed slightly, the mood created displaying a cool and collective air.

Mac turned back to Stella, a satisfied expression on his face. "This is nice Stella," he said, his tone genuine.

Her eyes lingered on his for a moment before she finally spoke up. "Just wait until you try the Greek salad. Now sit," she playfully demanded.

Mac moved to sit in the chair she pointed at while Stella went further to the counter to retrieve the two pre-made plates.

She went back towards the table, setting one plate in front of Mac and one on the place setting across from him. She gathered up two wine glasses and set them on the table.

"Stella, you sit down. I'll pour the wine," Mac offered before she could even move to do so.

"Thank you Mac," she said before sitting down. A content sigh escaped her lips in the process.

Mac carefully filled each glass with the red liquid, handing one to her.

Stella took the glass and raised it slightly. "Cheers to…" she trailed off in attempt to think of the right world.

"Authenticity?" he offered with the raise of an eyebrow.

Stella laughed lightly at his word choice. "Wow, Mac. I was going to say to Greek salad but I think I like yours better. To authenticity," she said, lightly tapping her glass against Mac's.

They set their glasses back down, each picking up their fork.

Stella watched Mac carefully has he took the first bite of his meal.

Mac saw her watching him and purposely decided to drag out the amount of time it took for him to completely chew and swallow.

Stella immediately caught on and frowned at him. "Would you hurry up and tell me how it is," she said with a laugh.

Mac smiled and looked up at her, a genuine expression on his face. "It's the best Greek salad I've ever tasted," he told her. The way his eyes stayed on her caused Stella to have to look away momentarily. She tried to cover up her embarrassment with laughter.

"I'm glad you like it Mac," she said when she finally managed to look back up.

Mac smiled and the two entered a comfortable silence

The rest of the evening was filled with small talk and the occasional discussion of work.

When the evening grew late, Mac expressed his need to leave for her had to work the early shift the next day.

Mentally, Stella was disappointed but she managed not to let it show.

The pair got up and walked towards the door. Stella opened it for Mac as he walked past her and into the hallway. She leaned against the doorway as he turned around to face her.

"Thanks for dinner Stella. It was amazing."

"I'm glad you liked it. Now I better not catch you with another store bought Greek salad again," she warned him playfully.

Mac shook his head in laughter. "Thanks to you, I'll never be able to eat it again," he paused, contemplating what he said next. "I guess whenever I get the urge for it; I'll have to come over here."

Stella smiled sweetly at him. "That wouldn't be such a horrible thing."

They shared another laugh before Mac spoke again. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, you will," she replied.

She watched him for a moment before leaning closer to place a kiss on his cheek. Her hand rested on his shoulder as his found its way to her waist.

When she went to pull back, she was surprised to see that his hand lingered on her hip as he hers stayed on his shoulder.

This time, it was Mac who leaned in closer. He brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss. The moment the connected, Stella found herself pressing her mouth harder against hers. She pulled back for a moment, shocked yet satisfied with what just happened.

"Wow," she breathed out, her mouth still close to hers.

Mac remained still and silent as he just stared at her.

"Mac?" she questioned. She grew confused when he remained in his fixed position. "Mac, Mac."

She frowned when she received no answer from him at all.

She back up and shook her head on confusion when his hand remained where it was, except for this time, she wasn't there.

"Mac, Mac, Mac…."

)()()()()()(

"Mac, Mac, Mac…" Stella frowned in confusion when she suddenly saw nothing but darkness. She began to noticing the feeling of something soft on her cheek.

She opened her eyes to be greeted with a sideways view of her living room. After a moment of confusion, it finally hit her that she had just awoken for a nap on her couch. She remembered trying to think of what to have for dinner when she figured she fell asleep.

Laughing to herself, she got up from the couch. She laughed harder when her stomach growled in hunger. Smiling, she gathered up her purse and headed towards the door. On the way, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hey Mac, it's me…You busy?...No?...Good, how about dinner?...Yeah, I have something in mind…You ever taste authentic Greek salad?"

)()()()()()(

_So, what did you think? (Oh, and the Greek was from a standard online translator.)_


	2. Carrot Cake

_So this is the second installment. I really hope you all enjoy it. And thanks again for the reviews for 'Greek Salad'. I really love them :D_

_And I don't own anything._

_Andie_

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Carrot Cake

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_Achoo!_

The sneeze left her nostrils before she even had a chance to prepare. The fact that she had to sneeze had barely registered when she felt the small tingling sensation in the back of her nose, creeping up like a cat on a bird.

Hoping that it went unnoticed, Stella quickly got back to work. She watched the computer screen zoom the through the possible fingerprints matches to the one she lifted from her crime scene.

The case she was currently working on was one that was full of missteps and confusing leads. She and Flack had been on it for weeks and up until this point, there were running out of leads to follow. It wasn't until she came across a fingerprint that was missed in the initial processing of the crime scene, did she begin seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

Just as the computer beeped signaling a match, she felt the familiar sensation in nose once again. Being prepared this time, she quickly turned her head to the side.

_Achoo!_

The power of the sneeze caused the hair on her head to bounce heavily, leaving behind curls in her face, blinding her vision.

Raising a hand, she brushed them out of her face just to find that she was no longer in the AV lab alone.

"Adam?" she questioned, surprised to find the younger man there. It wasn't until she saw his expression, one of shock and disgust, did she realize what had happened.

"Oh my gosh Adam, did I sneeze on you?" she asked, already feeling bad.

Adam quickly recovered from his initial surprise and began shaking his head. "Oh no, you didn't, I mean you did but it's not a problem," he said, stumbling over his words. "Besides, the old baby could always use a new a coat of paint," he added, running a hand over his stomach.

Stella stared at the younger man, trying her best not to roll her eyes. Within the short time span that Adam entered the room, Stella could already feel the headache starting to form in her temple, pushing against the walls in her skull like the steady beat of a drum.

Noticing the blank stare he was receiving, Adam brushed away any hope he had for a reaction to his joke and turned his attention to the computer screen. "Is that the fingerprint from the Benton crime scene?"

Stella turned her attention back to the screen. "Yup, and it seems to belong to an Anthony…" she trailed off as the all familiar sensation hit her once more.

_Achoo!_

This time, the magnitude of the was the sneeze was so great; it attracted the attention of many other personnel in the lab, including an all too familiar face who happen to be walking by at the exact moment.

"Stella?" Mac questioned from the doorway.

"Hey Mac," she said simply, even though the congestion in her system could be heard the moment the words left her mouth.

Not turning to see him, Stella focused her attention on the files in front of her, trying her best to seem as normal as possible.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, moving into the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine Mac," she said, again not turning around.

Her statement caused Adam to snort loudly in disbelief.

Both Mac and Stella's head shot toward Adam, each with different expressions. Stella's read along the lines of _I know you didn't just do that _while Mac's was more of a y_ou better leave while you still can _look.

Deciding Mac's was probably the better option; Adam swiftly turned around and headed out of the room as quickly as he could.

Shaking his head lightly in amusement, Mac turned back to Stella, who was currently trying her best to focus on the computer screen but was failing miserably.

"Stella, you should go home before whatever you have gets worse."

"Mac," she responded, growing frustrated. "I'm fine okay. I can manage the rest of my shift."

"Stella, I really think it's better it you…"

"Mac, please, just let me finish processing the evidence from the scene. I'll leave after that."

"No Stella," he replied, remained perfectly calm. He knew that her illness was the true reason behind her assertiveness.

"Mac," she stared to protest.

"Stella, take it as an order from your boss," he told her.

Knowing that after he played the 'I'm your boss' card there was nothing she could do, Stella stood from her chair with an aggravated sigh. Gathering her files together hastily, she made her way out of the room. As she walked past him, Mac could feel the heat radiating from her.

After she was gone from the room, Adam appeared from around the corner.

He looked at Mac and let out a nervous chuckle. "That was close huh? She looked like she wanted to bite our heads off."

Mac eyed the younger man for a moment. "Not mine Adam, just yours," he told her before leaving the room as well.

Alone the room, Adam unconsciously brought his hands to his neck. "Yup, still attached."

)()()()()()(

Stella sat alone on her couch, wrapped in a thick wool blanket and surrounded by dirty tissues. She had the TV on but she was barely paying attention to it. Instead, she sat sulking in the fact the she was in her current situation.

Stella had hated a lot of things in the world; murderers, thieves, criminals in general, people who took advantage of others and so many other things. But sometimes she felt like more than anything, she hated being sick. In her mind, being sick was a sign of weakness. She hated having to rely on someone else to take care of her and help her do things she could normally do on her own.

She was also the type of person who hated taking medicine. She always believed that taking medicine would weaken her body's natural ability to fight off germs and that was unacceptable for her.

So there she sat, alone and struggling to maintain a sense of sanity when there was a knock at the front door.

Curious to the surprise visitor, she slowly moved from her position, removing the blanket and brushing off the tissues. She slowly made her way to the door and eyed the peephole.

A light chuckle escaped her face when she saw Mac's face on the other side of the door. Unlocking the locks on the door, she opened the door to see him with a paper bag in each hand.

"Mac, what are you doing here?"

He shrugged lightly. "Figured you could use a few things."

"Mac, you shouldn't have. I feel fine," she tried to tell him even though it was a pure lie.

"Is that why there's a dirty tissue on your hair?" he asked, slightly amused.

Quickly bringing her hand up to her hair, she felt the tissue and quickly removed from her hair and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Okay, I'll admit that my nose is a little runny, but you still shouldn't have Mac."

"But I did so are you going to let me in or make me stand here all day?" he asked with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Stella couldn't help but smile as she moved aside to let him in the apartment.

Moving past her, Mac made his way into the familiar apartment, and headed straight towards the living room. He sat the bags on the coffee table and motioned to the couch.

"Sit," he told her.

Knowing there was no reason to protest, Stella did as she was told and sat on the couch, trying to brush off the tissues everywhere. "I was in the middle of cleaning," she told him as she wrapped herself back in her blanket.

"Of course you were," he said with a chuckle.

"So, what did you bring me?" she asked, laying her head back on the back of the couch.

"Well," Mac started, reaching into one of the bags. "I've the things essential to relieving a cold. First, cold medicine," he said, pulling out the small box.

As much as she wanted to argue that she didn't need medicine, she knew it would fall upon deaf ears so she instead she decided to remain silent.

"I've also got a hearty sized helping of chicken soup," he continued, pulling out the large container.

Looking back towards the table, she smiled at the thought. "Thank you Mac. I appreciate it," she told him before motioning towards the other bag. "What's in there?"

Mac smiled at her before moving towards the bag. "Something special," he said simply.

"What?" she asked, her curiosity growing.

Smiling once more, Mac reached in the bag and pulled out the large box.

Forgetting for a moment that she was sick, Stella removed the blanket so that she could move forward and see through the clear plastic that covered the top. Her eyes widened when she realized exactly what was in the box.

"Carrot cake?"

Mac nodded. "Carrot cake."

"You remembered," Stella said, half in a whisper for she was in complete shock.

"I did," he told her. "I remember it was the first year we started working together. I remember you telling me how you're all time favorite foster mother, Ms. Julie, would always bake carrot cake for you when you were sick and it would always make you feel better. I figured maybe it would still work."

At that moment, Stella didn't know if it was the fact that Mac had remembered that little detail of her life or she was just that sick, but she couldn't control the sudden rush of emotion that hit her like a brick.

The tears slowly appeared in her eyes and began streaming down her face. She looked up at Mac to see him watching her, worried to the reason she was crying.

"Are you okay Stella?"

Knowing that her words wouldn't work, Stella stood from the sofa and moved towards Mac. When she reached him, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.

Mac immediately relaxed him her arms, engulfing her in the same manner.

Leaning her head back, she looked up at him. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he replied in the same tone.

After returning her head to his shoulder, Stella seemed to be feeling better. From the moment on, she wondered if it was because of the fact that she had a full carrot cake on her coffee table or the fact that she was in the arms of a certain someone.

)()()()()()(

_Two Weeks Later_

Adam made his way into Mac's office, armed with the results of the recent DNA test he was asked to run.

He pushed opened the door with his mouth open, prepared to start his findings with a typical 'Adam joke'. However, before he could, another sound interrupted him.

_Achoo!_

Adam watched his boss blow his nose on a tissue. "Wow boss, seems something's going around. I better start running before it catches me," he commented with a chuckle.

He stopped however when he noticed the death stare that Mac was currently giving him.

Realizing that his best option was to leave, Adam hastily placed the file he had been carrying on the man's desk and then backed out of the room.

Once he was completely out, he let out the breath he had been holding since he saw Mac's expression.

Preparing to head back to the DNA lab, he noticed Stella heading towards Mac's office.

"Hey Stell, you might not want to go in there," he told her, holding up his hands.

"Why not?"

"I think he's got that cold you had a couple weeks ago. He doesn't have his usual jolly personality."

Stella chucked before placing a hand on Adam's shoulder. "Okay Adam, two things. First, there are a lot of words that describe Mac Taylor but jolly is definitely not one of them. And second, I've got the cure right here," she said, motioning to the box in her hand.

Adam looked at it and read the words displayed on the top.

"Carrot cake?" he questioned.

Stella nodded with a smirk. "Carrot cake."


End file.
